Bags



Aug- 4, i964 A. LA mm@ BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed liay 18, 1961 All 5L, if

Aug. 4, i964 A E. LA FLEUR BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Filed Hay 18. 1961 United States a 3,143,277 BAGS Arthur E. La Fleur, 273 River St., Manistee, Mich. Filed May 18, 1961, Ser. No. 111,015 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-57) This invention relates to improvements in bags, and refers particularly to bags made of thermoplastic material such as polyethylene.

It is an object of the invention to provide a bag which folds flat when empty and wherein the upper and lower corners are provided with four thicknesses of material when filled so that the possibility of the bag being torn when in use is materially lessened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bag which is braced at the top on opposite sides of its mouth to facilitate the retention of the bag in position for easy filling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strong serviceable bag which is cheap and simple to manufacture.

With these and other objects and advantages in view which will become apparent as the specification proceeds, the invention is hereinafter more fully described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevation of the bag when empty and its opposite sides contiguous to one another, and

FIGURE 2 is an end view thereof taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a front View of the bag in the shape it assumes when filled.

FIGURE 4 is an end view of FIGURE 3 taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of FIGURE l with the spacing between opposite sides of the bag somewhat exaggerated for the sake of clarity.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 3 with the mouth of the bag open.

FIGURE 8 is an inverted plan on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9 9 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE l is an enlarged section on the line 11i-lil of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE ll is an enlarged end view of the bottom of the bag with its opposite sides spaced apart and the bottom of the bag not yet forced to its bottom position by contents.

In the drawings the thickness of the material of which the bag is made is exaggerated for the sake of clarity. The bag is made of tubular sheet material, and usually consists of thermoplastic lm. The back and front panels 2 are integrally connected by longitudinal gussets 3 which, when the bag is filled, constitute opposite ends thereof.

Each of the panels 2 is secured diagonally to the adjaent fold of each of the gussets 3 at both its upper and lower extremity by heat seals 4 and 5, respectively, whereby each pair of seals 4 and each pair of seals 5 on each side of the bag is superimposed one on the other. The upper seals 4 extend upwardly and inwardly, and the lower seals downwardly and inwardly, from opposite sides of the bag across the full width of the adjacent folds of the gussets. The inner extremities of the upper seals 4 terminate in the lower extremities of vertical seals 7 formed through the panels 2 to dene opposite sides of a mouth 6 through which the bag is filled. In order to hold the bag in shape for easy filling other heat seals 8 and 9 are also provided. The seals 8 extend horizontally outwardly from the upper ends of the seals 4 to the outer margins of the bag as shown in FIGURE l,

' 3,143,271 Patented Aug. 4, 1964 and the seals 9 extend outwardly across the upper margin of the bag from opposite sides of the open end of the mouth 6. Thus the seals 8 and 9 extend through four layers of material-that is through both panels 2 and the two layers or folds of the gusset between them. When the bag is filled a closure seal may be made across the mouth usually adjacent the inner extremity of the latter as indicated by the dot-dash line 10. If desired the seal 10 may be a hot-knife seal extending across the full Width of the bag thereby severing the upper extremity of the mouth and the gussets and the lateral portions of the panels.

The lower extremities of the seals 5, of which there are then two on each side of the bag, all terminate in a transverse heat seal 11 which unites the lower margins of the panels 2 for the entire distance between opposite pairs of the seals 5. Beneath and outwardly of each heat seal 5 the lower outer extremities of the panels 2, each pair with two folds of one of the gussets 3 between them, form a depending ear 12 of four thicknesses of material. These four thicknesses are sealed together at' 13 along their lower margins so that the seals 13, 11 and 13 extend continuously in a substantially straight line. Thus the ears 12 reinforce the bottom corners of the bag to afford added protection against damage.v It'will also be noted that the upper outer extremities Aof the panels 2 and the gusset portions between them above and outwardly of the seals 4 provide similar reinforcement for the upper corners of the bag. f

When the bag is open to receive its contents the lowerl extremities of the panels and gussets are inwardlyvfolded` as shown in FIGURE 8 so that the seals 13, 11 and 13 extend across the bottom of the bag centrally of its width. Then the panels and gussets intermediately of their length each form a wall of single thickness for one of the sides or ends of the bag. As will be clearly seen from FIGURE 7 the upper outer extremities of the panels and gussets' 1. A bag made of tubular heat scalable plastic ma-l terial having opposed rectilinear side panels provided with square corners, parallel opposed gussets extending ,in-f wardly along the end edges of the side panels from corner.

to corner with said opposed side panels each connecting one outer margin of one gusset with one outer marginA of the other gusset, a diagonal seal extending obliquely, inwardly and downwardly across the lower corners of said panels and across the full width of each gusset and uniting each gusset with an adjacent side panel, the seals in each gusset being superposed one on the other, the

lower extremities of said diagonal seals being contiguousA with the bottom of the bag, a transverse seal extending across the entire width of the bag and through the lower,

extremities of all the diagonal seals, thereby closingthe bag bottom across its entire width whereby the-lower.

extremities of the square corners of the panels and gussets beneath the diagonal seals form floating reinforcements for the bottom of the bag.

2. A bag made of tubular heat sealable plastic mae.

terial having rectilinear side panels arranged in opposed relation provided with square corner portions, parallelI gussets arranged in opposed relation along the side edgesL of said panels and extending inwardly therebetween from one corner to the otherrwith said side panels each con- 3 necting one outer marginal edge of one gusset with one outer marginal edge of the other gusset, means sealing the lower edges of the panels to one another throughout their width from corner to corner and the lower opposed ends of each gusset to one another to provide a four-ply thickness at the corner portions of said bag, a diagonal seal at the upper end of said bag extending upwardly and inwardly across the full width of each side of each gusset directed obliquely across said square corners uniting the gusset with the side of the panel adjacent thereto, the diagonal seals of each gusset being superimposed one on the other, upwardly extending seals uniting the two panels and extending upwardly to the top edge of the bag from the upper extremity of each'r pair of diagonal superimposed seals, the upwardly extending seals being adapted to unite therpanels and arranged to extend parallel to define a ller mouth, and parallel spaced seals located at the upper end of the bag to extend normal to the upwardly extending seals' for uniting the upper ends of the gussets and panels at spaced apart locations.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Royal Sept. 10, Potdevin et al. July 6, Potdevin et al Nov. 29, Schmidt Mar. 7, Geimer et al. `Oe,t ,4 22, Piazze July v31, Snyder et al. Apr. 21, Harker Jan. 26, Mead et a1. June 27, Ashton Oct. 17,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 14, France Apr. 28, 

2. A BAG MADE OF TUBULAR HEAT SEALABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING RECTILINEAR SIDE PANELS ARRANGED IN OPPOSED RELATION PROVIDED WITH SQUARE CORNER PORTIONS, PARALLEL GUSSETS ARRANGED IN OPPOSED RELATION ALONG THE SIDE EDGES OF SAID PANELS AND EXTENDING INWARDLY THEREBETWEEN FROM ONE CORNER TO THE OTHER WITH SAID SIDE PANELS EACH CONNECTING ONE OUTER MARGINAL EDGE OF ONE GUSSET WITH ONE OUTER MARGINAL EDGE OF THE OTHER GUSSET, MEANS SEALING THE LOWER EDGES OF THE PANELS TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGHTOUT THEIR WIDTH FROM CORNER TO CORNER AND THE LOWER OPPOSED ENDS OF EACH GUSSET TO ONE ANOTHER TO PROVIDE A FOUR-PLY THICKNESS AT THE CORNER PORTIONS OF SAID BAG, A DIAGONAL SEAL AT THE UPPER END OF SAID BAG EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY ACROSS THE FULL WIDTH OF EACH SIDE OF EACH GUSSET DIRECTED OBLIQUELY ACROSS SAID SQUARE CORNERS UNITING THE GUSSET WITH THE SIDE OF THE PANEL ADJACENT THERETO, THE DIAGONAL SEALS OF EACH GUSSET BEING SUPERIMPOSED ONE ON THE OTHER, UPWARDLY EXTENDING SEALS UNITING THE TWO PANELS AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY TO THE TOP EDGE OF THE BAG FROM THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF EACH PAIR OF DIAGONAL SUPERIMPOSED SEALS, THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING SEALS BEING ADAPTED TO UNITE THE PANELS AND ARRANGED TO EXTEND PARALLEL TO DEFINE A FILLER MOUTH, AND PARALLEL SPACED SEALS LOCATED AT THE UPPER END OF THE BAG TO EXTEND NORMAL TO THE UPWARDLY EXTENDING SEALS FOR UNITING THE UPPER ENDS OF THE GUSSETS AND PANELS AT SPACED APART LOCATIONS. 